I've written about Brazil pre-Lula and post-Lula and spent the last five years covering all aspects of the country for Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal and Barron's. Meanwhile, for an undetermined amount of time, and with a little help from my friends, I will be parachuting primarily into Brazil, Russia, India and China. But will also be on the look out for interesting business stories and investing ideas throughout the emerging markets.

China Leader Takes U.S. Line On Palestinian State

China’s new president Xi Jinping said he fully supports the Palestinian people, but added that a two state solution was only possible if Palestinians held to the notion of peace with neighbor Israel.

The premier is hosting both Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israel’s president Benjamin Netanyahu in China this week, though in two separate cities. Abbas is in Beijing. Bibi is in Shanghai.

Xi called the Chinese people’s support of the Palestinian people “sincere and hearty.” China will support the just cause of the Palestinian people, Xi said. “Despite turns and twists in peace talks between Palestine and Israel, we believe the dream of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state can come true provided (you) hold the general direction of peace and make unremitting efforts (in your cause),” he told Abbas.

The Shanghai Dailyreported on Tuesday that Abbas “spoke highly” of China’s stance on the Palestinian issue and hoped it would continue to play a part in the peace process there.

“I appreciate China’s high position in the world nowadays,” Abbas said during opening remarks at the meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Monday.

During his meeting with Abbas, Premier Li Keqiang made no promises to even remotely increase its role in the embattled Holy Land.

“China will continue its own way and make use of its influence to boost Palestine-Israel peace negotiations, which will work for regional and world peace and stability.” Li pledged China will carry out existing projects in the region and would encourage Chinese businesses to invest in infrastructure and strengthen cultural exchanges, the Shanghai Daily reported.

China recognized the Palestinian state in 1988, four years before establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.

China is unique among the foreign powers in the Middle East in that it simultaneously maintains largely positive and substantive relations with the region’s four major ethnic groups: Arabs, Persians, Turks, and Jews, wrote James Chen in a 2011 report on the subject matter titled “The Emergence of China in the Middle East” published by the National Defense University, a military university under the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Part of China’s influence is due to its foreign policy principle of “noninterference in internal affairs,” which endears it to regimes that receive criticism from Western governments over their human rights records.

However, Chinese diplomats have also been careful to maintain low profiles and adhere to noncommittal positions on the Israel-Palestine conflict in particular.

But China’s growing influence is apparent. It’s investments in Iranian oil forced Washington to weaken its sanctions so as not to punish China from importing from there, Chen noted in the report.

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When where Tibet and “Uighurstan” (funny how you don’t even know the proper name to the place you want to be “free”) ever countries? How exactly does a country “steal” another when it is already under that country’s jurisdiction all along?